Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Living: Case-80: ECONOMICALLY INDEPENDENT AT SIXTY!

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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT

Sixty-year-old Dhulla Venkatamma and her husband Ramulu live in Kothapalli village of Chandampet mandal in Nalgonda district.  They have a son and daughter-in-law who live separately. They have one acre of dryland which did not yield much so they worked as daily wage labourers. Ramulu also traded in goat and sheep skins, a trade he had learnt from his father. With this income they lead a fairly comfortable life.  When the trade in skins was bad they used to migrate to Miryalaguda to look for work.

Seven years ago Ramulu fell and has been bedridden. The mantle of running the family fell on Venkatamma’s shoulders. She tried to continue her husband’s business for which she had to borrow money. She was selling the skins at Devarakonda for Rs.10 per skin, but spent more than half her profits on bus fares, on paying back the loan and on Ramulu’s medical treatment. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to run the home.

When the APRLP watershed programme came to Kothapalli village, Venkatamma joined the Venkateshwara self-help group and saved money on a regular basis. She took a loan of Rs.5, 000 from the village organisation livelihood fund and continued her business. Earlier, because the interest rate on the money she borrowed was very high she could not take more than Rs.1, 000 and so could not visit more than two or three villages to procure skins. Now with a loan of Rs.5, 000 from the village organisation and with a simple system of repayment at a low interest rate, Venkatamma is able to visit twenty villages

to buy skins.

She preserves all the skins in salt and sells them in Devarakonda once a week. Thus she sells about fifty skins in a week and is able to make between Rs.10-20 profit on each skin. She now earns not less than Rs.3, 000 per month. All the nearby hamlets are inhabited by the Lambadas who slaughter many goats and sheep during festivals. At these times she is able to buy and sell up to 500 skins in the week. She was able to earn Rs.60, 000 during the last year from this business. From her earnings she repays Rs.500 to the village organisation.

Venkatamma spends Rs.1, 500 on the household and Rs.500 for her husband’s treatment. Besides, she pays toward the education of her grand-children. She has bought twenty small ruminants valued at about

Rs.40, 000. She claims that ever since the watershed programme began she is able to earn reasonably well, even at the age of sixty, and is independent.

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Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Living: Case-79: GENDER EQUALITY!

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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT

The women of Kammuru village of Kuderu mandal in Anantapur district proved that when women get equal opportunities and status to access development initiatives, development is definitely faster. 

Before the formation of self-help groups and village organisations began, the women of Kammuru village had no say in making household decisions. They also got lower wages.  Other than agriculture, men did not bother to look for avenues of income. Women took care of the children, did all the household chores, took care of cattle and worked as labourers. They had very little control over their lives.

The table below compares the work done by men and women, earlier in Kammuru village. 

(Figures in %)

Particulars of Work          Women          Men          Variation

Household work          100               0          100

Cattle related work      100               0          100

Feeding the cattle         80                 20        80

Grazing cattle               50                 50        –

Agriculture                   40                 60        40

Nurturing children         80                20        80

Managing the home       0                 100      100

Decision making            0                 100      100

When APRLP watershed programme was initiated in Kammuru village, self-help groups and village organisations were formed. The watershed development team organised awareness programmes and training for members of self-help groups and village organisations.

Women were required to attend the Gender Awareness training at Kuderu where they were made aware of various aspects related to gender differences such as the social and individual benefits of men and women sharing work and responsibility, the need for women to achieve control over their lives, and the role of income in gender relations.

The village organisation held a gram sabha where the contents of the Gender Awareness training were shared with the rest of the villagers. Self-help groups and village organisations played a significant part in achieving behavioural change in men. Women provided critical investment support through the self-help groups and contributed to better incomes. The benefits of being members of selfhelp groups combined with gender awareness campaigns resulted in men supporting women to participate in meetings and also to undertake small economic activities.

A change in the pattern of work-sharing was noticed. The box shows approximate figures as explained by the families. The relevance of these figures lies in the fact that there is mutual consensus on the change in the percentage of work.

Particulars of Work                Women       Men

Household work                   80        20

Cattle related work               50        50

Feeding the cattle                  50        50

Taking cattle for grazing        50        50

Agriculture                           40         60

Nurturing children                60         40

Managing the home             50          50

Decision making                  50          50

(The figures must be viewed as indicative only of perceptions and not as derived from systematic empirical study. These have been gathered through PRA techniques during informal discussions, when on visits to collect data).

Thus the watershed livelihood fund acted as a critical factor in bringing about a change in the attitudes of men and in creating a sense of equality. Credit at affordable rates was a crucial element. Earlier, when men wanted a loan they got it at a very high rate of interest. They signed promisory notes, provided mortgages and sureties. Many families lost valuables and on occasion even land and property to money

lenders. Because of women’s membership in self-help groups and village organisations, the families had access to loans with easy repayment in installments and with a low rate of interest.

While the men were happy to get loans on easy terms, the hidden leadership abilities of women came into the open. They not only extended mutual help to other women and supported each other but many of them also made a success of income generation activities.  In a short span of time women assumed a leading role not just in self-help groups and village organisations but also in their household economy. The power of collectivity gave them unprecedented security and social respect which also changed their status in the family.

Women were ready to adapt to gradually taking over important positions in relationships within families. That it was all done within the boundaries of tradition is important.

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Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Living: Case-78: THE COMMUNITY’S FUTURE RESTS ON YOUNG SHOULDERS!

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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT

Ours is a male dominated society and the plight of women continues to be grim. There is no dearth of rhetoric with regard to ameliorating conditions of women, but not much seems to be happening.

As a sharp contrast here is a success story that deals with the formation of Balika Sanghas with girls who are 14-18 years old. These Sanghas were set up to increase creativity and social consciousness among young women.  The presence of such groups in every village is absolutely the need of the hour, especially as India is now younger than ever.

During the appraisal of the watershed implementation programme in Jalakanur village of Midthur mandal in Kurnool district, the acute problems faced by girl-children came to the surface. Child marriage is still a norm.  Women are neglected and backward. They suffer psychological stress, are illiterate and not

gainfully employed. The social mobiliser initially formed two Balika Sanghas with 10-15 members

each. The two Sanghas opened accounts in a local bank and members started to save Rs.30 a month.

Along with being encouraged to save, the members were trained and taken on visits to give them an exposure to different things. These measures enhanced their skills and learning.  The young members of the Balika Sanghas spearheaded the spread of awareness on critical issues among the members of the regular selfhelp groups. The young women’s enthusiasm and energy was thus channelised for a positive social cause.

Balika Sanghas members are very aware of the importance of issues such as health, forming self-help groups and participation in community and nation building. They also focus on:

• Education

If you educate a man, one person is educated, but if you educate a woman, a whole family is educated. Literacy of women is of paramount importance. Literate mothers can mould their households meaningfully. The Balika Sanghas focus on literacy of not only their groups but also other women’s groups.

• Health

Rural women are susceptible to disease and mental disorders. Many women are anaemic due to menstrual problems. Health awareness and child care are vital. Sangha members are educated about the importance of nutritious food and pre-natal care and their effect on long-term health, and they in turn teach other

Women of the village about these issues, thus contributing to the well-being of the community.

• Savings

It is essential for all women to save money regularly. It enables them to deal with emergencies at home. It teaches them to manage a house economically. Members of the Balika Sanghas have saved money and learnt the utility and value of savings from a very early age. Each member saves a rupee per day.

The young women have also learnt tailoring, embroidery, nursing and how to use a computer and other skills that make them employable.  The goal of the Balika Sanghas is to make women self-reliant by fighting for economic independence and against social evils.

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Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Living: Case-77: JUBEDABI’S INDOMITABLE SPIRIT!

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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT

29 year old Jubedabi is HIV positive and her husband died of AIDS, but she is not afraid. She is a born leader and runs the village organisation efficiently. Her life is an example for all those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

She studied up to the 5th standard, and was married to Sharif sixteen years ago. She has two children, and owns 1.5 acres of land allotted to her family by the government. She joined a self-help group comprising 15 members in 1995. Given her assertiveness, combined with her energy and helpful nature, she was elected leader of the self-help group. Each member saved Rs.30 per month. Seeing how these members were prospering, other women in the village were motivated to join the self-help group movement and soon 10 self-help groups were formed.

In the year 2000 Tadakalapalli village was identified and selected for the implementation of the watershed development programme. For the first time in the history of the watershed development programme an all women’s watershed committee was formed, headed by Jubedabi. The committee got special recognition from the departments and officials as a watershed successfully run by women. The selfhelp group led by Jubedabi achieved many good things for the community.

One such activity stood out as an example of how the group builds unity in the community.  The women’s group took a loan under the watershed programme and started pisciculture as a group activity. When they made a profit of about Rs.40, 000, the self-help group contributed Rs.30, 000 to build a church, a mosque and a temple in their village, at a cost of Rs.10, 000 each. They pledged this donation to prove that self-help groups mean unity and all communities have a stake and need to take part in their development. This gesture has built enormous goodwill for the groups.

The women’s group also worked on other social issues such as the prevention of child marriages, and persuading parents to re-enroll children who had dropped out of schools.  They influenced the election of political representatives, ensured the granting of ration cards and built relationships with officials of

government departments.  The self-help groups took on the responsibility of running the National Child

Labour Project (NCLP) School in the village. They saw to it that the children lived in the Social Welfare Hostel if they opted for higher education after they finished school.

The village school had only two rooms and hence could not accommodate any more children. The self-help groups collected Rs.16, 000 for the construction of some more rooms. Jubedabi alone contributed Rs.4, 000 as a way of showing her concern and commitment to the development of the village.

Their village was called the `Insured Village’ as the self-help groups motivated the entire village community to be covered by an insurance scheme – a unique achievement.

They built a veterinary hospital, and by making a representation to the Government they appointed a compounder to run the hospital.

As the leader of a self-help group and member of the watershed committee Jubedabi initiated many other village development activities and the village witnessed great progress. Twice she has received the award for the ‘Best Village Organisation Leader’ from the Chief Minister. “I don’t know how long I will survive but I would like to do the best possible for the village before I die”, says Jubedabi.

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Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Living: Case-76: BHYRUNNISA BANKS ON BANGLES!

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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT

This is a story of a Muslim woman who had lived all her life behind purdah. The sweeping currents of change eventually helped her support her family of six daughters and enhance the economic status of her entire household.

Bhyrunnisa belongs to Mulugu village of Mulugu mandal in Medak district. She faced a lot of hardships trying to bring up her large family.  She could not even send her children to school as her husband’s earnings were not adequate.

The watershed development programme was launched in the village with the support of the NGO, TREES which was the implementing agency. They held meetings with the community.  There were intense discussions on several issues such as health, education, the practice of child marriage, and the very important one of sustainable livelihoods for women.

TREES motivated the women to form self-help groups, each with 10-15 members. Bhyrunnisa joined the Bharathi group. The members managed the group and each member saved Rs.1 a day. They conducted group meetings regularly and had lively discussions on matters pertaining to savings, repayment of loans and other issues related to promoting awareness among the women. A literate woman from among the

members wrote the books.

The DWMA sanctioned Rs.25, 000 as a loan to the group. They distributed this amount amongst the members, but it was not enough to fulfill their economic needs.

Bhyrunnisa started thinking about starting a stable business activity. She discussed this with fellow members and decided to start selling bangles. She borrowed Rs.10, 000 from the enterprise promotion fund and added another Rs.2, 000 from her own savings. She purchased bangles worth Rs.4, 000 from Goshamahal Centre in Hyderabad. Initially she carried the bangles in a box on her head when she went from house to house. Her own community ridiculed her for taking up such a menial job. She didn’t

let it bother her and marched ahead with determination.

Many people knew her in the village. They encouraged her and bought bangles from her.  She earned Rs.200-300 per day. She approached households where marriages and functions were to be held, so she could sell many more bangles.  She also sold on credit to encourage buying.  These promotional activities increased her sales.

Soon Bhyrunissa was able to set up a shop in her own house and started selling her wares from there. She now visits houses only on special occasions. She purchases bangles worth Rs.4, 000 from Hyderabad once a week, and makes a profit of about Rs.1, 200 to 1,500.

Recently she was able to celebrate her eldest daughter’s wedding, using her savings and borrowing Rs.30, 000. Earlier she used to be afraid of taking loans, but not now. She has the confidence to be able to repay them from the money she now earns.

She feels that joining the self-help group has given her confidence and knowledge. She has learnt new skills and is able to earn a living. She is very grateful for this.

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Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Living: Case-75: SALAMMA’S DAIRY!

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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT

Kandula Salamma is 60 years old. She lives with her husband and two sons in Penchikalapadu village of Cumbum mandal in Prakasam district. Her other two sons are married and have set up their own establishments. They have two acres of irrigated land. Because of a shortage of groundwater they were able to grow only red gram.

They also had two buffaloes. They needed a tractor-load of dry fodder for them. They had to get the fodder from Nandyal at a cost of Rs.2, 700. Without adequate fodder there was a drastic reduction in the milk yield to just 4 litres a day, and that too only for six months in the year. The family consumed 1 litre and sold the remaining 3 litres at Rs.8 per litre. This income was insufficient for the family of four. As a

result the third son dropped out of school from the 10th standard. Kandula Salamma’s husband Subba Reddy was not interested in rearing the animals, but she persuaded him to continue, as there was no alternative source of income.

Check dams and percolation tanks were constructed as part of the APRLP watershed development programme in the village. There was a gradual increase in groundwater and water in the wells. Observing this, the multidisciplinary team (MDT) generated awareness on fodder development. Salamma and fifteen others who showed an interest were provided with fodder seeds. While all the others grew fodder on

small patches of 20 or 30 cents of land, Salamma grew fodder in an acre of land.

The fodder offered scope for Salamma to rear more buffaloes. She took another loan of Rs.25, 000 from the Lakshmi self-help group. This loan was repayable in 10 months in installments of Rs.2, 750 per month. Though this was a huge amount, the availability of fodder emboldened her to take the loan. In the first month, the milk production was normal but later the yield improved dramatically as a consequence of buying hybrid animals and the ample availability of green fodder. The buffaloes yielded 4 – 6 litres

per day. Salamma started selling 20 litres of milk at Rs.10 per litre, earning Rs.200 per day.  She earned between Rs.5, 500-6, 000 per month, and could easily repay the loan installment from her monthly earnings. She was making a profit of about Rs.2, 000 per month after meeting expenses and repaying the loan every month.

As others also started growing fodder, the milk production shot up. The traders offered a lower price for milk as the production was high. Salamma started a milk collection centre with her third son and made an additional profit of Rs.5 per litre by trading in milk. As her income went up she not only cleared the

entire loan but also bought another buffalo with her own savings. She now owns five buffaloes.  Her husband is fully engaged in managing the buffaloes and milk production.

Salamma’s fourth son is studying in the 10^th standard now and she wants to invest in his higher education, as she was sad that her third son had to drop out of school. From a stage of dependence on her husband, she has now become the breadwinner for the family. The entire family is gainfully employed and Salamma is a role model in the village, commanding respect from all.

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Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Living: Case-74: METLA NAGALAXMI!

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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT

Metla Nagalaxmi is the second leader of Venkatalaxmi self-help group of Kavalakuntha village. She is 35 years old and is married to 40 year old Venkateswarlu. They have two sons studying in the 8th and 7th standards. They do not own land. They work as daily wage labourers; she earns Rs.30, while her husband earns Rs.50 per day. They used to be entirely dependent on labour for their income. Though they are from

the Yadava community, they could not rear sheep due to financial constraints.

One day an animator working in the APRLP programme explained to the women in the village about the formation, management and benefits of self-help groups. She told them about the importance of saving and how it would be useful in the future. Immediately Nagalaxmi took the initiative and persuaded nine other women in her neighbourhood to form the Venkatalaxmi self-help group with her. Each member saves Rs.50 per month. The group is now four years old and is running well.

In the first year of the formation of the group, three women borrowed Rs.30, 000 from the Andhra Pragathi Grameena Bank and bought ten lambs. After one year, in 2004, they sold these sheep and made a profit of Rs.10, 000. The entire loan was repaid to the bank with Rs.1 interest. In 2005, two members took a loan of Rs.50, 000 from the same bank and bought twenty lambs. They reared them for five months

Then made a profit of Rs.10, 000 when they sold them. They repaid the loan fully. Later, ten members took Rs.10, 000 each from the same bank. Nagalaxmi bought a buffalo with the loan amount. After three months of purchase the buffalo delivered a female calf. It yielded two litres of milk per day, which she sold at Rs.10 per litre, earning Rs.20 per day, ie Rs.600 a month. Nagalaxmi repaid the loan at Rs.500 per

month. Now she fully owns the buffalo.

In January 2006, Nagalaxmi bought a Chilli Powder Making Unit for Rs.13, 000. She took a loan of Rs.5, 000 under the allocation for Productivity Enhancement of the revolving fund of APRLP at Rs.1 interest and organised another Rs.8, 000 on her own. She earns Rs.20 per day grinding chillies in the unit. She works either in the morning or in the evening. Thus she earns Rs.600 every month from the unit. During the day she works as a wage labourer. She also takes care of the buffaloes and the milk production.

Not only could Nagalaxmi take a loan of Rs.10, 000 from the revolving fund in 2006 to start a sheep business, she has been able to earn from it too. Her husband works as a sheep trader as well as a daily wage earner. He earns about Rs.3, 000 per month from these activities.

As her economic status has improved she has constructed a two-room pucca house for her family. Earlier Nagalaxmi could not even meet her basic needs. But now they lead a rich fulfilling life. All this became possible through self-help group and village organisation activities supported by the watershed development programme of APRLP.

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Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Living: Case-73: HONEY PRODUCTION!

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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT

K Venkateswarlu, son of Venkatasubbaiah was an ordinary tailor. He is 49 years old and is married to Jayalaxmi, aged 45 years. They have three sons. It is a poor family that owns no agricultural land. They used to eke out a living from tailoring, making about Rs.2, 000 per month. Jayalaxmi helped him with his

occupation.

Venkateswarlu heard about bee keeping for honey production from friends and relatives. He knew this was an opportunity for him to earn more money. One day he saw an advertisement in the paper about bee keeping, so he approached the Horticulture Department for all the information required to help him set up an apiary. He was offered a 50% subsidy. Therefore he was determined to get some training on bee

keeping.

In 2004 he did a week long training programme at Ongole which was sponsored by APRLP. After another three day training at Hyderabad he was ready to take on the challenge. In April 2004 he purchased five boxes with the 50% subsidy from the Horticulture Department. At the first attempt he did not get good results due to a lack of experience. In 2005 he worked in a bee keeping farm in Valiveru

in Tenali for three months to gain practical experience. He got some sound knowledge and experience to start on his own again. This time he took a loan of Rs.15, 000 from the village organisation supported by APRLP, made five new boxes and started honey production.

He was asked to describe what he does:

There are two kinds of boxes which can be used – (i) Super Box, and (ii) Normal Box. Every box has only one Queen bee and all the others are worker bees or drones. It takes 30 – 40 days for the bees to produce honey in these boxes. A Super box has 1 lakh bees and can supply up to 10 Kgs of honey while a Normal box has 40–50,000 bees and produces 5 Kgs. The quality of honey is dependent on the flowers in season.

In summer when the flowers are in bloom, the bees have to be given food in the form of a sugar solution. Each box needs 1 kg of sugar solution during summer.

The cost of making an empty box is Rs.1, 100.  Each box with bees costs Rs.2, 500 and can produce 5 – 8 Kgs of honey. The honey is sold at Rs.150 per kg. The annual income per box is about Rs.8, 000-9, 000 and the annual expenditure per box is just Rs.250.

In February 2007, Venkateswarlu borrowed Rs.70, 000 from the Punjab National Bank and put in 5% as his contribution. With this he made 40 new boxes. Now he produces a lot more honey and his income has increased. He has become a resource person cum expert on bee keeping for which he is paid a daily honorarium of Rs.250. With access to an assured income he has constructed a new house and his children are studying in college. His life is sweet now, thanks to the project.

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